PROPOSED TAX ON STALLIONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8584, 4 June 1891, Page 3

PROPOSED TAX ON STALLIONS.

■ TO THE EDITOR. . Sir,— this morning's issue of your * s valuable 'paper . I notice a letter from Mr. '[ W. W. Phillipps, in which he scouts the idea ; of -v the ' proposed tax on entire ' horses. I think 1 that in some of j his i statements Mr, » Phillipps is labouring under a mistake as to - what . the real intention of the tax is. Of . course the mind of the majority of the' , r farmer?: is not as' yet known,' but, considering .. ■ that the members of the Board presenft last Friday (who are 5 all horse-breeders more or ? less)' were unanimous, in favour of imposing the tax,, their decision , counts ■. for „some : thing." The idea is to expend the fee in prizes *■ at the shows, so those who pay them have every chance of getting back their money, together with a bonus. t When there, are :* - fewer entires, the owners can charge more for the service of the horse, and the money . would return to them way. ' , .4- . * Mr. Phillipps probably feels the pnjsani 7 competition as much as anyone, ana lie . arguing against his own interest when be' v speaks of the farmers, who ; try the capabilt '-; ties of their colts; for they thus flood th _ . ' market with inferior brutes, to the :: detriiheTi v» v , of those who keep valuable animals; and can ' not command the price that their horses are ■ in reality worth. ' " Referring to France's national stud, France has not the natural advantages necessary foe V % a horse-rearing country, and I think\ that 7 "would account: for their deficiency, in that. , line./ France never has," since the extinction (long before; the formation of the national stud) of that wonderful stock in the fabulous times of Charlemagne, been noted' for its horses; while England always has. In. England it only pays certain men to "go in - for - horse-breeding, and' it .■ is ,thus ■, monopolised by a few who are able by the prices they obtain for their horses to keep up the breed, and not like out ' here where every. settler rears his foal. ' ~ "" " ' > The * difference between the : horses: owned • by the Maori's rof formerly and now, is the result of trying " the capabilities of the colt" that Mr. Phillipps ; talk about, and this will continue to go on until : some alteration is = : made in the law. > , ■ ' ' • Mr. Phillipps talks about interfering with the liberty of the subject. One would think ;£®;.B from his tone that ; the New Zealandecs are subject to the same despotism as are the Rus- . sians.' It is my humble opinion that the subject has too much liberty in New Zealand, and he wants restraining a little, e.g. Enfranchising gumdiggers (who have been called by a friend of mine; "outlaws.") ft But to return from this digression.' '' I think that ,\ ; ? instead of interfering with the liberty of ' theV subject it would be for his good (you might as well say it is interfering with his liberty to levy taxes on him). There is no doubt "but that such a tax would better the breed of horses, and that it would lessen the number of , scrubbers that disfigure the horse sales and r ; ! public streets. They are quite the comment > of visitors to our city, and would substitute £ an incomparably better class of animals. ■ I' do not write against the farmers, for I think !)"■ , it is for their benefit, and to their interest, to further the '■ movement as much as possible. Apologising for encroaching on your valuable 'and limited space.—l am, &c., ' A.Z.